Etudes par pays volume 2, PDF, 346 p., 1,4 Mo - Femise

11873_2002 Study D2: Poverty, Informal Sector, Health and Labour
3. POVERTY
3.1. Definitions
Poverty in Jordan was defined from the standard of living and satisfaction of
basic needs perspective. The Ministry of Social Development defines
poverty as a “state of physical deprivation characterized by low food
consumption (quantitatively and qualitatively), and the deterioration of
health and educational status, the lack of durable goods and other physical
assets, in addition to the loss of reserves to face difficult conditions, like
illness and disability”.
The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) defines
poverty as “the inability of the individual or the family to provide necessary
resources to meet its basic needs”. 2
Others defined poverty as “the inability to satisfy the minimum standards of
the basic needs; food, shelter, clothes, education, health, and transportation. 3
Jordan River Foundation (one of the active NGOs in Jordan) defines the
poorest of the poor as those families that have nothing, where the family
members must take turns to eat breakfast.
3.2. Policy and Legislation Orientation
The Kingdom’s new comprehensive strategy, through the collaborative
efforts of specialized working groups from the private and public sectors,
donor parties and non-governmental organizations, adopts a multi-sectoral
approach to improving living conditions for the poor and near poor.
2 The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia ESCWA Poverty in Western Asia 1997
3 Poverty Assessment Report: The case of Jordan ,Moh’d M. Khasawneh june 2001.
FONDAZIONE CENSIS
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